Piles of toys a distraction for tots, no kidding

YOUNG children should have fewer toys to stimulate creativity and promote better-quality play, researchers say.

A study has found toddlers with four toys played longer and were less distracted than those with 16 toys.

“With fewer toys, participants had fewer incidences of toy play, longer durations of toy play, and played with toys in a greater variety of ways,” said researcher Alexia Metz, from the University of Toledo.

“When there is an abundance of toys, small collections can be rotated into play while the majority is stored away, providing opportunities for novelty without creating the distraction posed by having too many toys available,”

“This may enhance opportunities for the development of creativity, imagination, and skill development.”

The study, published in the journal Infant Play and Behaviour, involved 36 toddlers aged 18 months to three years who played for an average of 20 minutes.

Those with 16 toys moved more frequently from toy to toy, playing with just over half available toys, which affected the duration and depth of play.

Those with four toys played twice as long and with less distraction.

Australian data shows some children have up to 250 toys and parents spend an average of $670 a year on toys for each child.

Patterson Lakes mother Tracy Daw likes buying toys and rejects the less-is-better maxim.

“They have lots of toys and get really creative and mix it up a lot,” she said.